Pretty in ink

Body tattooing might be an ancient art, but it has come to cricket only in recent times. Or did players of previous generations get discreet ones, hidden by clothing? Probably not, if you go by former Australian wicketkeeper's Rod Marsh's grumpy, back-in-our-day rant during the 2010 Ashes.

"I would have told Mitchell Johnson to take 'em off - and Michael Clarke as well," said Marsh, who played in the era of big hair, big mo's, big drinking and unbuttoned shirts. "How can we have a bloke captain Australia with tattoos? It's just not on. We'd have pulled 'em out, I reckon."

Mitchell Johnson - he with the big cat on his torso - has inspired several listicles on the internet with his many tattoos. In this photo he shows children in Kandy the koi fish and cherry blossoms - Japanese symbols for luck - on his right arm. In 2010, Johnson missed Australia's ODI tour of England due to elbow trouble, which, many suspected, was due to a tattoo-related infection.

If you go by the ink on his arms and the number of barbs he receives from opposition players, you'd conclude that Ben Stokes has a pretty thick skin. The photo above displays (adapted) lyrics from a song by Drake titled "Shot For Me". On his other arm, Stokes has Maori motifs to depict that part of his heritage.

England bowler Jade Dernbach is sometimes remembered more for his tattoos than his game. In 2011, he said that if he was picked for
England's ODIs in India later that year, he'd cover his left arm with tattoos. He was picked (and took one wicket in three ODIs and a T20I) and both his arms are now covered.